


exchanged

by dumpstergrizzly



Category: Stray Kids, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Exchange Student, Foreign Exchange Student, High School, Kpop Music, Kpop idols - Freeform, Multi, Other, foreign student, kpop, kpop idol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:54:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29351523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumpstergrizzly/pseuds/dumpstergrizzly
Summary: August 2017. This school year, Granite Bay High is accepting a foreign exchange student for the first time. The concept is new and exciting to a chunk of the students, while others just see it as a new annoying student. The first ever exchange student's name is Kim Seungmin, hailing from Seoul, South Korea. Seungmin wants to further himself in education and better prepare himself for university in the states, but he's also quite nervous. He's only ever been in Seoul for his entire life and this is a brand new state, country and continent. He's too shy to do much of anything, and his host family is a bit worried that he'll fall behind. That is, until he meets someone quite interesting that changes his life path for the future.
Relationships: kim seungmin/non binary oc
Kudos: 2





	1. "oh, he's new."

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my first stray kids fanfic:)  
> please, only constructive criticism!

" _Attention, all students: there will be an all-school assembly in the drama theatre before all classes commence today. Please make sure you attend, as we have a few things to discuss with the student body. Thank you for your time, and go Granite Bay Grizzlies!_ " The familiar voice of the principal, Loren Jaimeson, rings out over the PA system. Another year, and the last one for the class of 2018. Most of the students have developed a terrible case of senioritis even before stepping foot into the school this morning, and one student in particular is feeling it in full-effect.

Murphy Yedidyah, while a well-known face in the school, is not well-liked by anyone outside of the arts crowd. Murphy is very liberal and outspoken, one that doesn't stand by when they see others being mistreated. They prefer hanging out with the more artsy students, only because they feel as if they truly belong. A lot of the drama club kiddos had even adopted Murphy as a parental figure, and they treat the underclassmen as their own kids. Murphy is the host of weekly film nights, and the one that makes sure the club members were doing alright. Murphy is the president of the drama club, excels in arts and choir, and does a bit of weekly tutoring on the side. Murphy is able to tell by a person's eyes and body language whether or not they will be interested in participating with any of the clubs they're part of, and lately, it's become a lot harder to pick out new people. Nobody for the last two years has seemed to be interested, and the clubs are beginning to dwindle to only juniors and seniors. 

Murphy knows the year has to be different, or else all that will be left is the class of 2019. They sigh as they head down to the drama theatre, needing to get to the soundbooth in time to turn on the mics for the staff. They should've already been there, but they needed to grab a few cords from the AV department beforehand. Murphy heads toward the theatre and takes the old spiral staircase up to the booth to get ready. In the booth, they connect the wires and flip the switches before grabbing a few of the handheld microphones to send down to the stage. They turn each one on and check it to be sure they're functional, then look down to see the principal waiting at centre stage.

"Principal Jaimeson, all microphones are working. All you'll have to do is turn them on when you're ready. I'll send them down to you with the zipline," they say before switching the microphone off and placing them into the lockbox on the zipline. They sent the box down to the awaiting principal before heading over to the lightboard. They turn on the light switches until the stage is covered in a soft glow, nothing overpowering, but enough for the stage to be illuminated. They turn on the PA mic to let the principal know the lights were in place and to start letting students in.

The students file in, chattering away loudly, and Murphy leans over the balcony to watch. First, the freshmen, then sophomores, followed by juniors and seniors. A few of the students walking in look up to see Murphy, smiling and waving at them. They wave back, picking out a few of their favourites from clubs they're part of. It takes a few minutes to get everyone filed in, but once the theatre was at near-capacity, the principal began his speech.

"Welcome! Granite Bay, we are back today on the first day of a new semester, and this year will be fantastic, I can feel it." Principal Jaimeson begins. "This year will be especially interesting, because we have a new student this year. The education board decided on doing something a little different, and we are welcoming our very first foreign exchange student. This is exciting not only for us, but I'm sure for him as well. This is Kim Seungmin, and he's from a town in Seoul, South Korea."

The boy steps forward a bit and waves, but his face is fairly expressionless. He looks nervous, and has every right to, but Murphy is intrigued. He looks artsy in some way, like he's comfortable with being creative. He receives a microphone from the principal and turns it on.

"Hello, my name is Seungmin, but you may call me Sky if that's a bit easier on you. It's been quite a long trip here. I'm a senior this year, and I'm seventeen. I'm excited to be part of this new community, and I hope that this year will be great." His accent was thick, but he spoke very clearly. "After I graduate, I will return to Korea, then back to the states to further my education. I want to teach, and that's been my dream since I was young."

"Thank you, Seungmin, and let me be one of the first to welcome you to Granite Bay High. We're very excited to have you, and we can't wait to see what this year brings. We wish you the best of luck this year." Principal Jaimeson grins. He genuinely looks excited, not only for this new student, but for the year in general, and it gives Murphy a glimmer of hope. They know to be positive and look forward, not into the past. They smile and wait out the rest of the speech, where new rules and regulations are put in place, an updated dress code that is slightly lenient, and some changes to study hall scheduling. Most of the student body is ready for a nap by the end of the speech, but Principal Jaimeson finally ends his new year announcements.

"Now, on to your first block class of the new year!" He smiles. He looks up to the booth and waves to Murphy. "Thank you for the lights and sound, Murphy! We're done here for today!" He calls. Murphy raises their hand in a farewell, watching as the principal places the microphones in the lockbox once again. Murphy turns off the stage lights before walking to the soundboard. They mute all the mics and crank the handle to return the lockbox back to the booth. Once everything was in order, Murphy picks up their back and descends the spiral staircase to get to class.

It's a few minutes past the time they needed to be there, but they at least have an excuse for their tardiness. Their first class of the day was choir, and the director understands that each assembly usually ends in Murphy being a few minutes late. The class is not nearly as full as they remember, but the amount of people inside is still quite large.

"Morning, Mr. Lakewood," Murphy calls as they walk in. The director turns and smiles softly.

"Welcome back, Mx. Yedidyah," he says, handing over a folder with the new song they would be learning. Mr. Lakewood has always gotten the approval of the upperclassmen with their music, and since Murphy is the appointed leader of the choir, he wants to see what they think. Inside the folder is a song entitled "Ever After" by a band that Murphy definitely approved of. It's to be a theatrical piece, something with a lot of synchronized movement and solos for the different sections. A smile from Murphy got the director excited. "Please, introduce yourself to everyone, hand out the music, and then we can begin."

"Alright, good morning, everyone. My name is Murphy Yedidyah, I'm a senior. I've been part of this choir since my eighth grade year when I performed with them at their final concert. My pronouns are they/them, and if you need any sort of explanation of how to use them, please, let me know." Murphy takes a chunk of the printed music to hand out in different places, seeing quite a few new faces as they go. They turn back to the director after seeing the mixture of students. "Have you placed everyone in their sections yet?" They ask.

With a snap, the director hisses. "I haven't, I knew I was forgetting something." He says, as if it hasn't been the same slip-up as the last three years. Mr. Lakewood has always forgotten to place everyone in their sections according to voice, but this year Murphy knew they would be able to help with it.

"You play the starting notes, and I'll get everyone organized," Murphy smiles. They'd been working on blending and mixing voices for choirs recently, and want to try out their new knowledge. Mr. Lakewood nods and goes to the piano to play starting notes. "Everyone who knows what section they're in, please find your respective groups, but those who don't, please step to the side." They tell the choir, watching as the students mill about for a second, then form groups. Sopranos, altos, tenors, baritones, and finally bassists. 

"You will be singing the American patriotic song _My Country_ _'Tis of Thee_ to be placed within your new sections, and I'll be asking everyone to sing. We're doing this to not only form each section, but to organize the singers in a perfect blend." Murphy explains. Within minutes, the first three sections already formed. Moving on to the baritones, Murphy lays their eyes on Seungmin, the new foreign exchange student. "This whole section of six, I would like you to sing together." They explain, sending a cue to the director. Before the note is played, Seungmin raises his hand slightly.

Mr. Lakewood looks up at him. "Yes, sir? What's your question?" He asks.

Seungmin slowly drops his hand before speaking. "I don't know all the lyrics, does anyone have a copy available?" He asks. Murphy realizes that they've gone on this long, and they just assumed everyone knew it. They feel a pang of guilt, but walk over to the printer to snag a piece of paper. Murphy quickly writes out the words neatly, and hands over the paper.

"I'm so sorry about that, it's always been our usual song we start with. I forgot about having a new student." Murphy explains. "You've heard the melody, right? Do you need to listen to it real quick?" They ask.

Seungmin mulls over the thought in his head before nodding slightly. "If I could hear the melody again I will be able to sing it." He says. Murphy turns to the director, signalling him to play the melody once more. After hearing it, Seungmin nods. "I've got it now, thank you."

"The six of you, ready?" Murphy asks, giving a cue after the group's approval. The sound that resonates from the group of six is mesmerizing, but one voice sticks out a bit. After some rearranging, Seungmin is placed at the end of the baritone section next to one of their stronger bassists. The voice that he has is striking, beautiful and powerful. It's a sound that Murphy knows they'll remember for a long time.

The choir is organized to the best of Murphy's ability, and they call over the director. "I'll play the notes, and you can tell me what you think of the placements." They explain. The director moves to the front of the choir and Murphy plays the starting chord. The sound of the choir is surreal, leaving the director a bit stunned with Murphy's talent of blending between sections.

"Well done, Murphy," Mr. Lakewood smiles. "Now, to find out where you fit in. From what I've heard in the past, I actually want you to squeeze in between the altos and the tenors. We'll go from there." He explains. Soon after, the spot of contralto was given to Murphy. "You have such a dark timbre, it's hard to place you, but I think this will work the best. Now, everyone, let's see how it sounds. From within the choir, it's otherworldly how well it sounds, and it even surprises Murphy. The work they put in to understand how voices compliment each other finally paid off, and it left a smile on their face. 

"Now, let's get to work on our new song. We'll listen through it together first, and then we'll start to plan the parts." He says. "The song is a little lengthy, but it will be quite a show. The work we will have to put into this is immense, and I'm sure we will be able to pull it off, and pull it off well. Since we don't have an accompanist yet, Murphy, if you'll play the piano for each section as they learn, we'll be able to get through the first verse at least." Mr. Lakewood explains. "This song will have solos available, and auditions for those will start the next time we have class together. Signups are on top of the piano, and if you would like to audition, please sign your name up before you leave the room."

Mr. Lakewood walks to his laptop and plugs it into the speakers before pulling up the song to play.

Murphy was going to do everything in their power to make sure that Seungmin had a very specific solo in this song, and hopefully into the drama club as well.


	2. “it’s my treat.”

With just a few minutes left in class, the director dismisses them early to sign up for auditions or begin travelling to their next class. Murphy looks around for a while, seeing the small crowd of students hanging around the audition signups and then laying eyes on Seungmin. He was standing near the door all by himself, reading through something printed on a light blue piece of paper. Murphy recognizes it as a senior class schedule, only because they have the same one in their backpack.

Murphy decides to approach him in hopes of getting to know him, wearing a soft smile on their face as they walked. He looks over to see who was walking toward him and folds the paper back up to put in his pocket. "Hey, Seungmin," they say. "It's so nice to meet you. How's everything going so far?"

Seungmin reaches his hand out to formally greet Murphy. "Hello, it's very nice to meet you, too. It's going well, I like it here a lot. Everyone I've met so far has been very kind and helpful. I was a bit nervous when signing up for classes this year, especially choir, but my parents have often told me that I have a lovely voice. It was a last minute decision, but I'm already starting to love it here." Seungmin explains. His speaking voice is so gentle, his singing voice almost doesn't match his soft demeanour. To Murphy, he seems like such a kind soul, someone with a deep vulnerability but a strong surface.

This becomes the perfect segue for Murphy, and the words come out quicker than expected. "You should audition for a solo in the new song!" They say enthusiastically, nearly regretting it the moment they say it. They shake their head nervously before rephrasing their comment. "I mean, only if you'd like. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but after hearing your voice, I really think you have a chance of getting a solo." The face that Seungmin makes in response is nearly heartbreaking. He looks more nervous than excited, causing Murphy to quickly backtrack. "Sorry, I just heard how you sing and I thought it was so powerful and gorgeous. I can get a little overzealous at times."

"No, no, it's okay. I'm just so new to this that I didn't know if I should sign up or not. I was debating it, but I feel as if my voice may not fit with the flow of the song." Seungmin explains with an apologetic smile. "I wouldn't even know which solo to audition for if I wanted to."

This is all Murphy needs to jump back into action. "You don't know which solo to audition for?" They ask, leaning their head to the side and motioning toward the piano, where the signup sheets are. "If I could make a suggestion? Come on." Hesitantly, Seungmin follows after them. The fourth verse of the song, the finale of it all, is begging to be given to someone as vocally talented as Seungmin. "This one," they point to the fourth verse solo. "Your voice is something that everyone in the world needs to hear. It's powerful and impassionate, and that's what this solo needs to convey the emotions of the song. Your voice would pull the entire piece together. I'm even confident enough to say that it would leave everyone speechless."

"Murphy, you're not holding this poor boy against his will are you?" Mr. Lakewood teases. It's a common occurrence for Murphy to take matters into their own hands when there's something that has the potential of working out. Murphy shakes their head quickly with a laugh.

"No, no, no, no hostage situation here .... at least not yet." Murphy jokes with the director. "I was just explaining to Seungmin about the auditions and told him that his voice fits the finale of the song." They elaborate, hearing the bell ring for passing period. Murphy watches as Seungmin pulls a pen from his backpack to sign his name. Just the thought of Seungmin getting that solo makes Murphy a bit more excited for the next rehearsal. Seungmin hands them the pen and they also sign their name up, then return his pen.

"Alright, you two better head to class," Mr. Lakewood explains, looking down at his watch. "Oh, and Murphy? Make sure he doesn't get lost on the way. I don't know how well they showed him around beforehand.

"Sure thing, Mr. Lakewood. I'll see you on Friday. Try your best to find a new accompanist in the time being. Both of us will appreciate it in the long run." They smile over their shoulder, leading Seungmin into the hallway. "Alright, now, what's your next class?"

Seungmin tries his best to recall from memory, but when that doesn't work, he grabs the class schedule from his pocket. "Here's my schedule. Next class, I have free block with Ms. Sheffield?" He questions, seeming a bit confused. Murphy decides to explain the concept of free blocks to him.

"Oh, okay! So, I'll actually be going that way, too, so I'll just walk you there." They smile. "Free block is basically a silent class period that allows you to work on any schoolwork that's due, travel to other teachers' classes for help, or in my case -- work on my club priorities. Ms. Sheffield is pretty rad, she always lets her students work in the library if they need to." The two of them begin walking toward the science wing, and Murphy notices Seungmin glancing at all the club posters that are littering the walls. Some people have been posting about the club fair since the beginning of August, but the drama club decided earlier on that they would just show up and take whoever signs up.

"This school had so much going on," he exhales in defeat. "It's going to be so difficult to choose just one thing to focus on. You said you work on your club priorities during free block? What are you part of at the school?" He asks.

Murphy feels a smile tug at their lips. "I'm the president of the Dramatic Arts club, a member of the Art Club and the Forensics Club. All of them are super organized, but I should warn you if you ever decide to join, that some of the people in drama and forensics are a little crazy. They're fun and great kids, don't get me wrong, but they can definitely get a bit intense at times." They explain. "I host a film night every week at my house because a majority of them need a night to get away from home every now and again. A lot of the students in the club see me as a parental figure, especially those with difficult home lives. Since getting into the clubs, they've come out of their shells more, and I really do feel like a proud parent at times."

"That's so sweet," Seungmin smiles. "I think I may have to check out the clubs and see which one fits the best for me."

"Any club would be happy to have you!" Murphy beams. "The club fair is during lunch on Friday, since we all have a longer lunch break." Soon, they're standing just outside Ms. Sheffield's class. Murphy leads Seungmin inside quietly, taking him to her desk.

"Oh!" Ms. Sheffield smiles. "Welcome, welcome! I'm Ms. Sheffield, the biology teacher, but you'll be with me for free block this semester."

Murphy nods apologetically. "Sorry for coming in, but I wanted to make sure that he didn't get lost."

"No worries at all, Murphy. Thank you for being so helpful." The teacher says sweetly.

Murphy turns to Seungmin. "Hey, after this block, we have lunch. If you want, I can take you somewhere to eat, my treat. Just wait in front of the classroom and I'll meet you here."

Seungmin nods. "I'll wait for you." He smiles.

"Awesome! I'll see you later, Seungmin." Murphy says before heading out of the class to get to their own. They're heading to their anatomy class, a course that's shared with the Earth & Space Science students. Murphy is the only one taking the anatomy course, so they're just in the lab room just off the main class.

"Morning, Dr. Pixler," Murphy calls as they walk into the room. A few steps in, they notice that the room is empty aside from Dr. Pixler. "Uh, where are the stud--"

"I sent them outside to count blades of grass because they were all annoying me." Dr. Pixler explains without looking up from his laptop.

This man has been a teacher to murphy for the past three years, and with each year, he becomes more and more savage toward bratty students. Murphy has only heard him yell a handful of times, and they've all been after some seriously stupid stunts by idiot freshmen.

"Ah," Murphy nods, "when will I be disturbed by the horde of dumbasses?"

Dr. Pixler shakes his head with a chuckle. "Oh, I don't think that they'll be bothering you anytime soon." Murphy cocks their eyebrow up in an attempt to get more information out of him, but he doesn't elaborate. The silence is enough to give Murphy an idea of why they won't be bothering them when they come back inside.

"Did you lock the door behind them?" Murphy questions with a smirk.

"Uh-huh," he chuckles. Murphy watches as he raises his fist, begging for a knuckle touch.

Murphy caves in and pounds their fist against his while rolling their eyes. "You're somehow the worst and the best teacher in this school."

"I know, isn't it great?" He laughs. He pauses whatever it is that he's been watching and turns to face Murphy. "Now, on to you. My favourite anatomy student--"

"The _only_ anatomy student," Murphy interjects.

"Precisely why you're my favourite," he explains. Dr. Pixler reaches over and picks up a manila envelope before handing it to Murphy. When they express confusion, Dr. Pixler urges them. "Go on, open it. Consider it an early birthday present."

Murphy eyes the envelope suspiciously, looking between it and their teacher. "Okay?" They say. While Dr. Pixler is a great man, he does have a bad track record of having things jump out at unsuspecting students. Murphy remembers those times, and refuses to become a victim of a jumpscare without retaliation. "If anything jumps out at me, I will actually hurt you." And with that statement affirmed by Dr. Pixler, Murphy unseals the envelope, pulling out a stack of papers.

"What are these, exactly?" They ask, clearly confused and slightly unnerved.

"Just read," he says.

"Dear Mx. Murphy Yedidyah, thank you for taking the time to complete an application for a Jewish Mortuary Science Majors of America scholarship for the Fall Semester of 2018. The JMSMA Scholarship Committee has reviewed all applications submitted, and based on the course of study, the desire for higher education and need, the JMSMA National Scholarship has been awarded." Murphy reads, pausing to glance up at Dr. Pixler. "Seriously, what are these?"

"If you would just keep reading, you would know, but you're ruining the immersion."

Murphy sighs heavily and returns their eyes to the paper. "Congratulations! It is out pleasure to award the highest national scholarship to you in the amount of 4,500$ ...." Suddenly, the words fade away, the realization hitting them like a brick to the face. "I .... won a scholarship?" They ask.

"More than just one, Murphy," Dr. Pixler laughs. "That entire stack of papers are scholarships awarded to you."

Murphy blasts through all of the papers, seeing the word "congratulations" repeated over and over again. Since being kicked out by their parents a few years ago, they were afraid that they would never get to attend their dream college. Despite this, they never gave up learning everything they could about their desired major.

"These are all .... mine?" They ask. "Like I can use these toward my tuition?"

Dr. Pixler nods. "These are all yours, all in your name. Your parents know nothing about them. I had each of the letters rerouted to the school instead of them, so that might actually get me in trouble, but I'm sure if they knew the situation it would be fine. I redacted the scholarship announcement from the daily bulletin so that you would find out first."

"I just don't understand." They whisper. "How did this many scholarships come around?"

"You filled out all of the applications, but you never sent them out, so I did. I know you told me that you didn't think you deserved them, but you do. You want to change the world for others, and I want you to change the world, too." He explains. "You have such a way about you, you want to help others and never ask for help in return. Since you didn't ask, I just took the initiative to send each application out. So, congratulations."

With tears in their eyes, they look up to Dr. Pixler. "I take it all back, dude, you are the best teacher in this school."


End file.
